Falling
by maraudergrl3
Summary: LBD. A series of one-shots centered around Darcy and Lizzie at Netherfield and Collins & Collins. Because we all need more falling-in-love-Darcy. Enjoy!


Lizzie was going crazy. Bing and Caroline were being super sweet and wonderful hosts but there was a certain somebody that was making her stay at Netherfield feel incredibly awkward and unpleasant. Jane could tell that Lizzie was getting more and more restless as the days passed and it made her feel bad she couldn't do anything for her little sister.

Once Jane started recovering from her cold though, she came up with a plan to try to cheer Lizzie up a bit.

"I miss Lydia," she said as the two girls were lounging in one of the many rooms in Netherfield. It was one of those rare times when they were actually alone, just the two of them. No Bing trying to be adorable, no meddling Caroline, no Darcy being… Darcy.

"Me too," Lizzie admitted because as much as she acted as though she couldn't stand the girl, Lydia was a very important person in Lizzie's life and really, she would make this place a lot more fun.

"Hey, you know what we should do tonight?" Jane asked excitedly.

"What," Lizzie said, reluctance written all over her face.

"Sock slides! In Lydia's honor. We can wait until everyone's sleeping and then go do some fun sock slides in the hallway near the living room!"

"You know, that actually sounds like a good idea. But, shouldn't you get sleep? I know you're feeling better but that doesn't mean you can skimp out on sleep just to do sock slides."

"It won't take that long. Just a few rounds."

Lizzie looked at her sister for a moment. There was a determination that Lizzie knew would not go away. Once Jane comes up with a plan on making someone feel better, she does it, hell or high water.

"It's a deal."

It was a little past midnight when Lizzie and Jane crept down to their desired hallway. The both of them were already in their pajamas. Jane was wearing a cute light pink dressing gown that reached just above her knees and her hair was contained to a single side braid. Lizzie was wearing a royal blue tank top with matching plaid shorts. They both decided to wear their matching fuzzy socks that their father had given all three of the girls for one Christmas. He gave them a knowing wink when they opened them. Lizzie's were blue, Jane's were yellow and Lydia's were pink.

"Nice socks," Lizzie said when she greeted Jane.

"You too," Jane replied, matching Lizzie's giant grin. "You first."

Lizzie was too excited to be polite and decline. She couldn't remember the last time she let Lydia talk her into doing sock slides. It seemed like ages ago. Lizzie took a running start before letting her socks work their magic. She got pretty far down the long hallway. It took all her energy not to scream with joy a little while she was sliding. She slid halfway back to Jane before walking the rest of the distance to let her sister have a go.

"You always make it look so much easier than it actually is Lizzie," Jane said. "I almost nearly always fall. Or at the very least stumble near the end."

"Just go," Lizzie said, giving Jane a small nudge. She took off down the hall, throwing her arms over her head and grinning like a nutjob. Jane was glad Bing wasn't there to see her like this. They hadn't reached that point in their relationship just yet.

When Jane returned, Lizzie quickly said, "See, you didn't fall!" before going again. Sock slides, she decided, was exactly what she needed. She loved the way all her guards were down while she was sliding along the wooden floor. Her hair was whipping around her, blocking her vision; unlike her very practical older sister, it hadn't occurred to Lizzie to pull her hair back. It didn't matter though, the hallway was so long, there wasn't any chance of sliding into the wall. She allowed herself to close her eyes and laugh for just a second to fully appreciate the situation.

Naturally, her moment of letting loose led to her bumping into something. "Oh!" she exclaimed, surprised and felt herself falling backward. Except, she didn't hit the ground as she was anticipating. Instead, she felt a strong hand on her lower back catch her before she could make it all the way down. It was so big that it stretched across the whole of her back. Lizzie pushed her hair out of her face only to see William Darcy staring down at her.

His blue eyes were wide and his mouth was partly open. She stared up at him for a few seconds before getting too uncomfortable with his gaze. She tried to separate herself from him but he didn't seem able to move so Lizzie had to place her hands on his chest to properly adjust them. This made Darcy tense up even more than she thought possible. His arms snapped to his sides and his gaze shifted downwards, towards their feet.

"Sorry," Lizzie finally muttered. Her voice brought him out of his reverie. He looked back up at her face and tried not to think about how pretty her eyes were.

"I.. are you alright?" he asked. He quickly scanned her body to make sure she was well but immediately regretted his decision. He had never encountered pajama-clad Lizzie before and he hoped he would never have to again. He tried to focus his gaze on something other than her bra-less chest but it was proving to be quite difficult.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay? I didn't mean to attack you…" She glanced quickly at Darcy before going back to looking at the wall. He looked completely disheveled. His eyes were still wide with… shock? And his face was becoming redder with every second that passed.

"It's not a problem," he responded.

Usually, Lizzie would just leave it at that and make her escape but she was slightly embarrassed to have run into _Darcy_ of all people and felt the need to explain herself.

"We were doing sock slides and I couldn't see because my hair was in my face so I didn't realize you were there."

"I don't think I understand…"

"What's not to understand?"

"What are… sock slides?"

"Are you serious? You've never slid around your house in your socks before? What, were you just_ born_ an old man?"

"No," Darcy said defensively. He felt his face flush even more, if that was even possible. He hated how stupid he felt around her. Not only did he act like a clumsy, socially awkward buffoon whenever she was around, but there were times, like now, when she made him feel _inferior_ for growing up the way he did. And he didn't like that feeling at all. His lifestyle was certainly not inferior to hers. "I hardly think 'sock slides' are a worthwhile activity."

He tried to ignore the part of him that yearned for Lizzie to invite him to join. It was foolish to want to spend any time with her.

"You think anything that involves fun isn't a worthwhile activity." Her eyes were flashing with anger and Darcy tried so hard not to acknowledge how attractive it made her. Clearly, staring at any part of her was a bad idea, so Darcy shifted his gaze once again towards their feet. He noticed Lizzie's socks.

"I like your socks," he said, hoping that he will lighten the mood a bit. It didn't work. Lizzie not only took his comment as an insult, but his change of subject confirmed her beliefs; he didn't find fun a worthwhile activity.

"My father got them for me for Christmas one year. They're good sock-sliding socks," she responded stiffly. Lizzie glanced back down the hall towards Jane, willing her to come and rescue her. It was a true testament to how close the two sisters were because as soon as Lizzie thought it, Jane started toward them.

"Oh," was all Darcy could say. The longer he stood there the harder it was for him to resist all the urges that had been swelling up inside him. And yet he still couldn't bring himself to leave. Instead they were forced to stand in an awkward silence while they waited for Jane to catch up.

"Hi Darcy," Jane said pleasantly, a smile on her face. It disturbed Darcy how often the girl smiled. "It's so good to see you."

Darcy had no idea how to respond to that. Clearly, he had interrupted some sort of bonding time for the sisters and ruined their fun so he couldn't see how she would be glad to see him. He merely nodded in reply.

"What are you doing up? I thought you went to bed early."

"I normally try to," he responded, glad that Jane was acting as a barrier between himself and Lizzie. He wasn't sure he would be able to control himself if he were alone with a half-naked Lizzie. "But I had a lot of work to finish tonight so I couldn't. I was going to get a glass of water from the kitchen."

Jane smiled, which unnerved Darcy a bit. No one should smile that much. "You have quite a lot of work for someone who should be on vacation." She glanced at Lizzie who was giving her a look that clearly said 'why are you still talking to him.'

"When you're the CEO of a company as prestigious as Pemberley Digital, work takes no vacations," Darcy said proudly. Someone like Jane who had an entry-level job in fashion couldn't have any clue what it was like to have a real career.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes at his comment, but as he was trying to look at anything but her at the moment, he didn't notice.

"Well, we won't keep you then," Jane said. "Have a good night, Darcy."

"You too," he responded, trying but failing to match her pleasant tone. He waited a beat to allow Lizzie to wish him a good night as well, but she didn't.

"Goodnight Lizzie," he said, finally looking back at her.

"Good night," she said. And then, because she just couldn't get over the fact that all this actually happened, she added, "Maybe next time you can join us, if you're not too busy."

Darcy had no way of telling she wasn't being serious. His heart soared at the invitation. He made sure to keep his face from exposing himself and replied with an off-handed "Perhaps," before walking away.


End file.
